ARE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS READY TO DUMP THEIR TEXTBOOKS? A SURVEY ON STUDENT ATTITUDES TOWARDS E-READERS AND TABLET COMPUTERS1 Mark van Heerden, Jacques Ophoff & Jean-Paul Van Belle* University of Cape Town Private Bag, Rondebosch, ZA-7701, South Africa *
[email protected]
ABSTRACT Today’s students are accustomed to a world where information is available on-demand, anywhere and anytime. They bring this expectation to their academic world where they want to work cooperatively and flexibly, using the modern information processing tools and access with which they are familiar. New hardware platforms such as eReaders and tablet computers have made substantial inroads in the consumer market. E-Readers are becoming more prevalent in universities – replacing the need for physical textbooks, lecturing notes and other academic documents. Many universities are now running pilot programs, while some are already using e-Readers. Tablet computers, apart from their ability to read, edit or create various types of information documents, also offer additional features such as collaborative and social networking services. This empirical research project investigated student perspectives on the educational use of e-Readers and tablets within the University of Cape Town. A questionnaire was distributed to a significant portion of the student population and stratified according to seniority and faculty. Quantitative data was gathered and analysed on themes ranging from awareness to preferences to facilitating conditions around e-Readers within the academic environment. The students sent a clear signal: that they are keen to embrace these new technologies and the advantages they offer. E-Books can be updated automatically and downloaded to e-Readers instantly from almost anywhere in the world. Students feel they would benefit greatly through the use of e-Readers and many believe they are set to replace books completely. Having access to a portable library of information in their backpacks would benefit both students and the environment. However, there are a number of barriers to the comprehensive introduction of these technologies, including the cost of the devices; cost, rights and file format of e-books; the need for a critical mass of textbooks available in digital format and device characteristics such as battery life, and ubiquitous Wi-Fi access.
KEYWORDS E-Readers; tablet computers; e-books; educational technology; technology in higher education; emerging countries; student use of IT.
1. INTRODUCTION Over the past several years, a number of higher education institutions have been considering the introduction of e-Readers into their environment (Gerlich, 2011). Some have already instituted e-Reader policies and others are running e-Reader pilot programmes. Some universities have looked at providing each student with an e-Reader, while others are considering the use of e-Readers within their library (Shelburne, 2009). Universities are being encouraged to help students improve their learning capabilities both inside and outside the classroom. In today’s fast paced world, students need educational material instantly and e-Readers have the ability to improve educational attainment in this way. E-Books can be updated instantly and universally, and there is no need to wait for the publishing process of the traditional text book. Textbook authors and publishers can update certain sections of e-Textbooks without the need for a whole new print run. E-Readers could deliver a regularly updated, interactive education to students (Freedman, 2009). The University of Cape Town (UCT) is Africa’s top university, ranked in the top 200 worldwide rankings, and has about 25 000 registered students, including more than 4 000 international students from 104 countries. Technology-supported education is a strong imperative at UCT and this research aimed to 1
International Journal of Computer Ethics in Education. Vol 2 No 3 p15-44.
understand student perspectives towards the use of e-Readers and tablet computers within the University of Cape Town. The main questions of this research were: Would using an e-Reader improve student studies, and enhance productivity? Would students find it easy to use an e-Reader? What features do students consider most important in an e-Reader? Are students planning on buying an e-Reader in the near future? How important are certain facilitating conditions regarding e-Reader adoption within the UCT environment? Since e-Readers and tablet computers are an emerging information technology, relatively little academic research has been published in this area, especially from higher education institutions in emerging economies. This research aims to contribute to the relatively new field of research concerned with the adoption of e-Readers for academic purposes. It aims to provide academics and higher education institutions with a better understanding of how students feel about the adoption of e-Readers. Understanding the benefits and limitations of e-Readers, should also enable stakeholders to make better decisions with regards to the potential adoption or promotion of e-Readers.
2. E-READER AND TABLET COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES The digital publishing revolution is changing the way we read, write, store and gather information. Digital publishing can be traced back to the formation of Project Gutenberg in 1971 by Michael Hart. He electronically published the Declaration of Independence, which became the first digitized publication. This led to the first free, online, public-domain library (Gerlich, 2011). The catalogue of Project Gutenberg grew from 1 000 e-Books in August 1997, to 11 000 in December 2003, covering several formats, (ASCII, HTML and PDF), which could easily be copied, searched, indexed, compared and manipulated. Currently (August 2013), the Project Gutenberg collection holds more than 42 000 free eBook titles (http://www.gutenberg.org). In 1995, Jeff Bezos decided to sell traditional books online through Amazon.com. This gave users multiple search options and the ability to view book extracts, pay by credit cards and get books delivered within a week (Lebert, 2009, p.22). When digital publishing began to attract substantial publicity in 1997, existing book distributers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, along with others, entered the e-Book market. Within a few years more online bookstores emerged, with some selling only e-Books (Chrystal, 2010). By this stage, there were many e-Book formats, with each company creating its own e-Book reader software. In order to allow more compatibility between computers and reading devices, the digital publishing industry felt the need to have a common format. In September 1999, they released the first Open e-Book format (OeB) which was based on XML (eXtensible Markup Language) and defined the Open e-Book Publication Structure (OeBPS). In January 2000, the Open e-Book forum was created to develop the OeB format and OeBPS specifications. In 2005, the Open e-Book forum changed to the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF) and OeB was replaced by EPUB, a global standard for eBooks with PDF (Lebert, 2009, p.67). By 2003, Amazon had scanned in 120 000 titles and offered full text searches. e-Book sales increased and, in 2007 Amazon launched the Kindle e-Book reader (e-Reader) allowing customers instant access to 80 000 e-Books, newspapers and magazines via a wireless link to their bookstore. In 2009, along with many others, Sony and Barnes & Noble introduced their e-Readers, and Amazon released their second version of the Kindle (Chrystal, 2010 p.22). Although e-Readers were available prior to the Kindle, interest only increased with the introduction of the Kindle, as through the use of e-Ink technology, it provided the user with a paper like reading experience.
A key technology of e-Readers is the display, which is based on e-Ink technology. e-Ink allowed readers to read from a screen on a lightweight digital device in much the same way they do on paper, without the eye-strain usually associated with traditional back-lit screens (Pearson, 2010). This technology had made a significant impact and, by December 2009, for the first time ever, Amazon’s e-Book sales overtook their print sales, with the Kindle becoming one of the best-selling products on Amazon.com (Allen, 2011). Users were no longer bound to laptop or computer, as e-Ink technology allowed e-Readers to be used in broad daylight, offering both portability and connectivity. e-Ink technology underpins current eReader development and is now available in colour allowing for better viewing of graphics and diagrams (Harris, 2010). Additionally, e-Ink requires extremely little power: a tiny amount of power is used to refresh or change the screen content but no power is used during the display of text, unless the device also incorporates a backlighting feature for reading in the dark. This low power consumption leads to the battery lasting for weeks instead of just hours. Multi-function Tablet PCs, many of which have their own e-Book reading software, entered the market in 2010, and in April the same year, Apple launched its first iPad, selling over 3.3 million units (Herther, 2012). Clearly, Tablet PCs offer additional functionality, but their backlit screens do not work well in sunlight and their battery life is far shorter than the devices using e-Ink technology. Notwithstanding, a fundamental differentiator of tablets is that they can be used to create new digital content in addition to consuming information.
3. BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE E-READERS AND TABLETS IN EDUCATION Currently, the laptop is the optimal digital study device, meeting student requirements: a large colour screen, long battery life, adequate entry mechanism, and the ability to multitask. Most students already own one and it supports all the software that students need (McCarthy, 2011). Tablet PCs are moving towards meeting these requirements and, while the iPad and other tablets might be considered a luxury for now, it’s only a matter of time before they become mainstream devices. These new devices are intended to be primarily media consumption devices and may, in time, eclipse the laptop as the main portable computer (AsiaOne, 2011). A tablet computer’s full colour screen allows for annotation and highlighting and, in addition to being an e-Book reader, offers internet access and e-mail capabilities along with a host of other applications. A tablet is light enough to use with one hand, has a long battery life, and a large full colour screen so it should make a great e-Book reader (Zimmerman, 2010). In a U.S.A. survey, students expressed the belief that e-Readers are here to stay and that learning to navigate digital content on the new reading devices is an essential skill (Behler & Lush, 2011). The students surveyed felt that the digital reader would enhance reading experiences by creating access to material that might otherwise be unavailable or limited through traditional print text. Many saw the advantages of accessing all their reading material from a central access point and not having to carry multiple books around. The environmental benefits of an e-Reader also appealed to students. Many students viewed the e-Reader as yet another device in the spectrum of reading tools from a printed text to the computer. As more e-Readers enter the market, the question becomes not how to use a particular technology or device, but how to make more content available across all of the various devices they choose to use.
3.1 Benefits There are a number of benefits to using e-Readers rather than traditional paper-based textbooks. Environment
Many of today’s students are aware of environmental issues and UCT often hosts environmental educational awareness sessions, encouraging more students to become more environmentally aware. It takes roughly 324 litres of water to produce 1 kg of paper, making the paper industry the second biggest generator of waste water (Facts about paper and paper waste, n.d.). Switching to e-Books could save both
water and trees. Angeletaki (2011, p. S4) provides evidence that students seem “willing to gradually reduce paper consumption”, preferring to read digital content once they have experienced using an eReader. Cost
In most instances, the cost of e-Books is significantly less than that of traditional print books. Amazon has just begun to offer e-Textbook rental options, allowing students to save up to 80 percent on the cost of their textbooks, and to pay for the time they need a book rather than purchasing it. This textbook is then not only limited to the e-reader device, but is available across multiple devices and platforms (Haq, 2011). This offering would be well suited to UCT students, many of whom are from disadvantaged backgrounds and fall in the lower income bracket. There also is the possibility that libraries on limited budgets could benefit, as they could rent e-Textbooks for a limited period of time. Depending on the subsequent usage of these rented e-Books, they could then renew or purchase popular e-Textbooks and release the not so popular ones. E-Books could also be rented for evaluation prior to purchasing. Health For students and teachers alike, there are benefits to being able to carry e-Textbooks on a lightweight device rather than be burdened with the weight of paper-based books (Zimmerman, 2010). College studies suggest that heavy backpacks laden with textbooks can cause various back and health problems. Boston University found that 85 per cent of college students using backpacks suffer from back pain or discomfort, while Minnesota State University reported back pain as the most widespread health problem amongst students (Freedman, 2009). Remote Access Another benefit of e-Readers is remote access to e-Books. This is particularly important for students with mobility issues (Noorhidawati & Forbes, 2008). Remote access gives users the ability to access books remotely or download them directly onto the e-Reader from anywhere. This also allows for multitasking; for example, being able to watch an experiment in the laboratory some distance from the library, while at the same time being able to consult the literature electronically (Christianson & Aucoin, 2005). In addition, and of particular importance to students in a country with a high crime rate, student safety is assured for those who might need to access the library later at night. While some would argue that students need more exercise, remote access could reduce the back pain reported from carrying heavy backpacks and save on commute time and costs as students no longer have to visit the university library as often. Integration There are new technologies available which enable the integration of content. The Blio e-Reader software offers users the ability to add written, voice and video notes to the content. Lecturers are also able to insert discussions, quizzes and other material into e-Textbooks (Freedman, 2009). This expands the traditional notion of what a textbook is and creates a multimedia, interactive and more engaging artefact. In addition e-Books can be searched quickly, both within text and on the Web. This is often supported by built-in dictionaries and instant language translation. Content Sharing Many of today’s e-Readers allow for content sharing. With Amazon’s Kindle, it is possible to share the same e-Book with up to five other Kindles, although this is usually linked to the same user’s account. This is helpful to students because students can now collaborate using the same source materials. Notes can be created quickly from within an e-Book and shared instantly via social media, creating a more collaborative learning environment.
3.2 Limitations Proper citations Although being able to change font size and style may be an advantage to some, it’s a cause for concern for academics needing to do proper citations. With electronic formats, there are no fixed pages and the
number of words on a screen can vary. The inability to quote definite page numbers hampers academic research, since academics depend on citations not only to search for and analyse text, but as a testament to the accuracy of their own work (Biba, 2009). Indeed, citation styles themselves have had to adapt to eBook content, for example allowing in-text citation of paragraph numbers or headings instead of page numbers (Lee, 2011). Initial Cost of E-Reader Although E-readers have been dropping rapidly in cost – to less than US$100 – the initial purchase cost is still a factor for students in emerging countries, especially since the purchase cost tends to be higher than in the U.S.A. or U.K. due to import costs and duties. High-end tablet computers are still unaffordable for many students, although low-cost tablets are now also becoming available. Digital Rights Management (DRM) There are benefits of being able to walk into a library and borrow a traditional book. While an individual does not have to pay for the book the author(s) and publisher can be confident that the book will be returned and that multiple copies will not be made. Digital Rights Management (DRM) has been put in place to protect the author(s) and publisher from revenue loss and places limitations on the access of eBooks. Because publisher revenues are tied to content and the distribution thereof, DRM was introduced in an attempt at digital protection. This was developed as a method for publishers to protect themselves from the illegal copying of their works. Academic and public libraries have long sought to provide electronic reading matter, but there has been a lot of confusion regarding electronic reading material. In most cases, the e-Book readers needed special applications, which had to be installed separately, and usually came with embedded DRM restrictions (McCarthy, 2011). However, these encryption systems could often be bypassed. This has led to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) which prohibits the duplication of any digital copyrighted material. This is now illegal and comes with punitive measures. Not only has this Act criminalised duplication, but any attempts to disable digital rights management are illegal (Freedman, 2009). In many ways, adherence to a standard format will solve many of these problems, and will allow content to be moved between different devices. However, there will still be DRM accessibility issues. In developing countries, especially in poor countries like Kenya and Ghana, DRM could be a major barrier. A mechanism is needed whereby users in poor countries are able to receive e-Books without having the DRM issues associated with receiving and managing content. File Format An issue affecting both publishers and end-users across devices is the file format. Can there be one common file format across the variety of e-Readers we have today? This would benefit e-Reader owners or families with more than one type of device (Brisco, 2007). To address this, the open e-Book Publication Structure Container Format (OCF) was introduced. This new standard for e-Readers was created by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), and allows multiple e-Readers to share a digital file packaged into a single format. This will allow students to exchange files, and will also lower costs for publishers. A number of publishers have signed on to this new (OCF) protocol (Brisco, 2007). Adobe’s e-Book platform allows users to download, transfer and read EPUB e-Book content across tablets, smartphones and many dedicated e-Reader devices allowing the user to read whenever and wherever they desire (Dickson, 2010). Apple has decided to standardise on the EPUB format for its newly announced iPad and this is sure to increase interest in e-Books. In a study by the Book Industry Study Group, one of the main concerns was that certain e-Books are specific to certain e-Readers. Consumers see content interoperability (the ability to move content between devices) as a key benefit. Even with the EPUB format on the iPad, because of Apple’s own DRM, consumers will not be able to transfer content across devices. Similarly, protected EPUB e-Books from other booksellers are unreadable on the iPad. Readers need to carefully consider, before investing in any e-Book content, whether they wish to access it across different devices. Barnes & Noble are in a similar situation with their Nook, as they also have their own DRM. Unless this changes,
Barnes & Noble encrypted e-Books will not be able to be read on any other device that uses Adobe’s form of DRM encryption (Biba, 2009).
3.3 Summary e-Books and the way we access them has come a long way in recent years. Since the introduction of e-Ink there has been a renewed interest in the delivery of e-Books. There have been a number of studies regarding e-Reader adoption and their uptake within the academic arena. As technology improves, eReaders improve and today we have a variety of dedicated e-Readers and Tablet PCs available with eBook reading capabilities. There are still challenges relating to DRM and file-format, but these are decreasing and the e-Reader option is looking more promising for students. There are now options to rent e-Books and only pay for certain sections of a book or the time you use it. Public libraries are already offering users the option to download e-Books onto their e-Readers. These e-Books expire automatically and become unreadable once the loan period is over. In addition to the environmental concerns of printing books, today’s textbooks quickly become outdated, are expensive and can be uncomfortable to carry. e-Readers also offer new ways of engaging with today’s learners (Jung, Chan-Olmsted, Park & Kim, 2012). Clearly, there are perceived benefits and drawbacks to e-Readers and users with differing media usage patterns and reading needs are likely to perceive these differently. e-Reader success or failure depends largely on these factors, which might lead to various degrees of e-Reader acceptance and adoption.
4. SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES 4.1 Disability In a Penn State University study, where the Sony reader was used, it was hoped that some of the functions of the reader could assist students with dexterity and/or visual impairments. E-Readers are able to manipulate font size to reader preferences (Pearson, Buchanan & Thimbleby, 2010). Visually impaired students were asked to experiment with the font sizes of the Sony reader and to comment on the navigability in and out of individual titles on the device. Research showed that font size did not increase sufficiently to allow for reading by the visually impaired. The device was also difficult to navigate without help of a sighted person (Behler & Lush, 2011). In fact, the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and the American Control Council of the Blind (ACB) recently reached a settlement agreement with the universities that took part in the Kindle DX pilot program, prohibiting them from further utilising any e-Readers until the technology is acceptable to the visually impaired students. Some schools and universities have deferred using e-Readers until they are fully accessible to visually impaired students. Amazon has announced that the next Kindle will feature accessibility improvements which will include an audible menu system (Demski, 2010). UCT has a disability service and, depending on their particular disability, certain students could benefit from e-Readers. UCT’s disability service is optimistic about e-Readers and the possibilities they could offer some of their disabled students. Currently each and every textbook needs to be scanned and, depending on the type of paper and condition of book, it is not always successful. It is a tedious process and scanned books sometimes need to be discarded due to writing in the book or other markings. With the Kindle, e-Books could be downloaded and read back to the user from the device’s text-to-speech option. UCT does offer Job Access with Speech (JAWS) software which is able to read out loud what is visible on the screen, though this is limited by the capabilities of the user’s computer.
4.2 Developing Countries While e-Readers were made for the developed world, they are in many ways ideal for the developing world. Many developing countries lack the infrastructure to support, and are unable to provide, learning material to their people. Not being able to print their own material nor being able to transport paper books
across their countries leaves their people with very little access to written material. With a lower penetration of computers and internet access, e-Readers would be the ideal device. The Kindle has long battery life, low power consumption, is easy to use and makes use of GSM networks. With no monthly fees and free connectivity, it fits well with the needs of the world’s poor countries. Using just one eReader per class could provide each class with a whole library (Tony, 2010).
4.3 Academic Libraries Academic reading is not the same as reading for pleasure. It requires the reader to be able to interact with the text, in order to aid retention and understanding of the material. Whatever the material might be, the student needs to be able to highlight, make notes in the margin and quickly scan and skim through passages to compare information (Demski, 2010). E-Books and e-Readers are becoming more widespread, and academic libraries have the opportunity to play a major role in the future of e-Content and the way in which it is accessed. Librarians have the power to form partnerships and initiate conversations between institutions, publishers, vendors and device creators. They are able to advocate for users and to drive the enabling of access to content in multiple formats across multiple devices. Hopefully their involvement in the field of e-Books and e-Readers can help create a positive future, beneficial to all, where the paths of devices and content will meet up to provide the ultimate e-Reading experience (Behler & Lush, 2011).
5.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This research used a positivist paradigm in its aims to objectively measure and understand the student perspective of e-Readers (Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2009). An empirical, quantitative methodology was followed and data was collected through a survey questionnaire which was analysed and measured (Saunders et al., 2009). This research is descriptive, as it uses empirical data to explain student preferences with regard to e-Readers and their intention of adoption; we take the “what is” approach by gathering, organising, tabulating and describing the data gathered during the research. A cross-sectional time frame was used to ascertain student opinions at a particular point in time within the University of Cape Town (Saunders et al., 2009).
5.1 Research questions The objective of the research is to understand the student perspective of e-Readers within UCT. The specific research questions are related to the following: 1. Student’s performance expectations from using e-Readers. 2. The effort expectancy related to using e-Readers. 3. The student intention to adopt e-Readers. 4. Facilitating conditions around e-Reader adoption within UCT. 5. Student preferences with regards to e-Readers.
5.2 Strategy Quantitative data was gathered using a standardised survey questionnaire to collect student’s opinions, desires and attitudes. The questionnaire is shown in the appendix. All the respondents were asked the same set of questions, with the same available options, making this a reliable source of data. It also allowed for easy analysis by producing quantitative results. The survey questionnaire offered confidentiality and anonymity. Some biographical information was also requested, together with one open ended question. This did limit our ability to interact with and probe particular respondents and also did not allow us to digress from the set format. However, given the short time frame in which to collect data after the students returned to class, this was quicker than setting up in-depth interviews and conducting group discussions.
The disability service was also contacted and one interview was conducted there. In addition to this, the standard questionnaire to be completed by all other students, which contained diagrams and blocks, was changed to a plain text format. This allowed for the vision impaired students to complete the questionnaire, as it could be read back to them by the JAWS software program running on their computers. JAWS allows for the conversion of on-screen text to audio.
5.3 Research Method 5.3.1
Sampling
A form of probability sampling known as stratified systematic sampling was used for the questionnaires (Saunders et al., 2009). The sampling frame was stratified according to students’ faculty and student seniority level, i.e. under-graduate and post-graduate. The sample consisted of undergraduate and postgraduate students from all faculties within UCT. Students registered with the disability service were also included. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, representing 2% of the total of 25 000 students. Approximately 2.5% (430) of the 17 500 undergraduates, and roughly 1% (70) of the 7 500 postgraduates, received the questionnaire. In total 10 questionnaires were rejected due to missing information or incorrect completion. The two questionnaires received from the disability service were kept aside and evaluated separately in order that their value not to be lost among the rest of the questionnaires. One lecturer offered to distribute the questionnaire to his postgraduate class for completion, however, due to their busy schedule, these were not returned. 5.3.2
Data collection
The primary data collection was in the form of a structured survey (Saunders et al., 2009). Most of the research questions were designed around performance expectancy, effort expectancy and behavioural intention to adopt and there was a lengthy question related to preferences and characteristics of e-Readers. To pilot the questionnaire, some of the draft questionnaires were distributed to postgraduate students to ensure the questionnaire was clear and accurate and which allowed for any fine tuning to be done before the rest of the questionnaires were distributed. Only one change was made to the questionnaire, removing “Leisure” as an option from question 6 (For what purpose would you mostly use an eReader?) as it was similar to the “Personal” option.
5.4 Limitations Students were on vacation for a period of time during the data gathering phase, which could have impacted the timeline. The questionnaires were distributed in the last week of July and the first week of August. The researcher was still able to get a reasonable number of questionnaires completed and processed. The spread of responses for postgraduate students did not go as planned and there are thus some faculties with no postgraduate responses.
5.5 Ethical issues No individual or definable group was identified by the data, participants were unknown to the researcher, and no minors were involved in this research. Permission to perform this research was granted by UCT’s Department of Student Affairs (DSA). Student privacy was assured at all times and all information has been kept strictly confidential. All participation was voluntary and this was indicated to the student on the cover page of the questionnaire.
6.
ANALYSIS OF DATA
6.1 Demographics A total of 446 questionnaires were completed and captured. An additional questionnaire, from the disability service, was not included in the statistical analysis and has been evaluated separately. Table 1 shows the breakdown of respondents, grouped by faculty and gender, and faculty and education level. Although there were respondents from all faculties, only two faculties include postgraduate students, Law and Science. Table 1: Demographics by Faculty and Education Level Undergraduate 98 114 18 98 31 35
Faculty Commerce Engineering Law Science Humanities Health Sciences
Postgraduate
Female
Male
Total
%
36 15
53 52 32 71 20 32
45 59 23 41 11 3
98 114* 55* 113* 31 35
22% 26% 12% 25% 7% 8%
Total 394 51 260 182 446 100% % 88% 11% 58% 41% 100% * Unanswered question(s) Q13 or Q14 means total > sum of counts
6.2 Device Awareness and Desirability Six popular e-Book platforms were selected for the survey: two tablet platforms (Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy) and four dedicated e-Readers (Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s e-Reader and Barnes & Noble’s Nook). For the Nook, a distinction was made between the colour and the black-and-white (B&W) reader with the assumption that colour capability in an e-Reader might affect perception. Students were asked to rate their awareness on a scale ranging from “own” to “never heard of” (Figure 1). The Sony was the only e-Reader where more than 5% of the respondents did not answer the question. Figure 1: E-Reader Awareness
e-Reader awareness Own
Used
Looked at
Heard of
Nook B&W 1212
63
357
Nook Colour 1211
66
355
Sony 18
55
Kindle 6 47 Galaxy 2 43 iPad
19
140 81
206 136
145 169
Never heard of
164 161 165
84 69
18
The two tablet devices, iPad and Galaxy, are both well known. Least known are the Nooks, which most students have never heard of. Rather disturbingly, 38% (164/434) of students have never heard of the Kindle although this percentage drops to 18% among the post-graduate students. In contrast to many richer countries, ownership of the devices is very low across the board, with only 1.5% (6 students)
owning a Kindle and 4.2% (19) owning an iPad. Interestingly, 8 times as many students have used these devices as own them. Using crosstabs and looking at the Kindle awareness amongst undergraduates and postgraduates in this sample, it is clear that over 40% of the undergraduates have never heard of the Kindle. However, the postgraduate students seem to be more familiar with the Kindle. Despite their small numbers, this higher awareness among post-graduate students is statistically highly significant with a chi-square value of 12.03 (when combining the “use” and “own” categories due to the small number of owners i.e. less than 5 in each cell). This has a statistically highly significant p-value of 0.00727 (i.e.
